What we’re drinking: Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Cabernet

On Saturday I got together with three of my girlfriends (and the
baby) to plan another friend’s upcoming baby shower. Knowing
everyone would be bringing wine, I didn’t want to show up empty
handed.

During a quick visit to Costco earlier in the week I saw a
bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Indian Wells Cabernet Sauvignon.
Having just had the Indian Wells Merlot, I decided I wanted to give
the Cab a try. Plus I knew Cab was a fan favorite among my
girlfriends.

We had the wine with dinner — my friend Anne prepared a
delicious meal of flatbreads, broiled squash and salad with
pomegranate, grapefruit wedges and goat cheese. Yum.

The Cab matched up fairly decently to the dinner. It had a round
mouth and a jamminess up front. (Personally I like Cabs that
are fruit-forward and don’t leave me smacking my lips because
they’re dry from sharp tannins, so this wine was a plus in my
book).

Here’s what the winemaker had to say:

“The Indian Wells Cabernet is our warm climate, ripe, jammy “New
World” style of Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine really typifies the
Wahluke Slope region with dark fruit aromas and flavors with hints
of vanilla. Vineyards in the area are more than a decade old now
and showing character and complexity.”

The wine was aged for 15 months in 33 percent new American and
18 percent new French oak. This added to the sweetness of the
Wahluke Slope grapes. Syrah from this region gave the wine its
jammy fruit character. The blend is 89 percent Cab, 6 percent
Syrah, 3 percent Malbec and 2 percent Cab Franc.